WESTCHESTER COUNTY, N.Y. -- A review by the Federal Railroad Administration has found that Metro-North places on-time performance over worker and passenger safety, according to the New York Times.

Operation Deep Dive is a review of the railroad prompted by the Dec. 1 derailment in the Bronx that killed four people and injured more than 70 more. The 28-page report analyzes safety measures taken by Metro-North and suggests corrective actions that the railroad can take to improve safety.

The report also found that cell phone usage is commonplace among track workers on the job and that workers are pressured to rush to respond to signal failures, according to the New York Times. It also said that track inspectors receive inadequate training and that safety briefings are poorly attended.

The full report will be released Friday. Click here to see the full story in the New York Times.

Over the past 2 weeks (excluding the date of the Harlem Explosion), the New Canaan - Stamford branch was late by over 25 minutes. No announcements, no alerts.
What happens is that the train physically leaves the Stamford station (ergo, it left on time) and the passengers sit on the train between stations "due to congestion". When you call Metro North's Customer Service Department, they are not aware of any delay. So I wonder how accurate their "on-time" numbers are.